Creative Relations

I blogged about my learning edge a few weeks back and while the new gig at work has served as a great way to engage with more people and refine my own ability to plan, strategize and execute, I’ve found this innate need to be creative in other ways. The concept of “What’s Your Learning Edge,” keeps returning to my head as I ask myself that very question.

So in defining what I can do to let this creative bug out, I started talking with a friend in great depth about, of all things, relationships. How do they start, how do they build, how do they last, what happens if they come to an abrupt end, and why would a great friendship with a strong foundation abruptly end? (Short answer: one half of the friendship must be a dumbass!). The conversation, though, eventually turned to the one theme that long-time couples seem to enjoy: common ground.

I’m no Dr. Phil (*cough and say “full-of-shit”*) but, the consensus we reached was that in order to find success in a relationship both parties must be open and willing to try new stuff and find stuff that they can do together. Earthshattering, I know. No one in the Universe could possibly have stumbled on such a revelation as this. Do Things Together (DTT).

What’s this have to do with my creative urge?

Part of my drive to be creative and spawn something at the genious level is to provide me with an opportunity to work with someone intelligent, creative and fun. My friend, who just happens to be all of these things, also happens to be savvy with a pen and paper (or monitor and keyboard). With these things in place, we have agreed to collaborate on a project. A book project. We’re in the brainstorming phase at the moment, but we have already established a goal (to write a book) and a deadline (Dec. 2007) to have said book self-published and under the Christmas Tree for certain family members.

The selfish aspect of this project is to see our names listed as authors on the cover of our self-published book – the content of which is likely to be really good, but publishable? Time will tell. Still we’ll have a little more to leave behind as our legacy when this book is done. And the fact that we’ve agreed to do this, make it happen (and have FUN doing it) makes the learning edge concept all the more interesting.

Stay tuned on progress reports regarding the book project and the impact on if my own creative urge is satiated or only teased with an appetizer.